BREEDING THE TROTTER 



posed pedigree expert. Wilkes' Spirit of the 

 Times was the great trotting authority in the old 

 days and all bets went by Wilkes, were he right 

 or wrong. In time I came to be known as " Walk- 

 ing Wilkes," just as some men are now called "a 

 walking encyclopaedia . ' ' 



MY FIRST BROOD-MARE. 



The one hundred and fifty dollars obtained by 

 the sale of my colt went to start a bank account 

 to which I added "chicken money" from time 

 to time. Before very long I saw a gray mare I 

 liked and I bought her for one hundred and 

 twenty-five dollars. She was said to be by Grey 

 Messenger, he reputed to be a grandson of 

 Sherman Morgan. The Messenger horse is known 

 in the Year Book as Hoagland's Grey Messenger 

 155. He had a record of 2.43 and afterwards 

 went to New Jersey. 



My mare was carrying a foal by Grantham 

 Chief 685 1, a son of Royal George 9. She dropped 

 a gray filly which developed into a very hand- 

 some mare, but as a three-year-old she jumped 

 into a hay rack. I was a pretty sick chap when 

 I went into her stall and found pieces of wood 

 sticking into her side. Of course she had to be 

 killed. 



JANE BROWN. 



After the mare produced the Grantham Chief 

 foal I bred her to Prince of Wales, a son of Royal 

 George, owned by Alvah Ditrich of St. Cather- 

 ines. I paid fifteen dollars service fee and the 



